Chapter 87

"Is this your last blow?"

"If it is, then you can die!"

After the black and white sword light released by Xuan Xuan Jian dissipated, Su Xuan's voice rang out again.

Then, without waiting for Xuan Xuan Jian to react.

The red sword that hurt Xuan Xuan Jian and the white sword that pierced into Xuan Xuan Jian's body moved at the same time.

The dual swords intersected, one slashed toward Xuan Xuan Jian's throat, and one pierced toward Xuan Xuan Jian's heart.

Slash!

Thump!

Two completely different sounds rang out.

Xuan Xuan Jian's body suddenly stiffened, and then, his head drooped, and his life passed away in an instant.

As the red and white swords flew back under Su Xuan's control, his body also slowly fell to the ground, and until his death, he never let go of the dual swords in his hand.

"Sigh..."

Watching Xuan Xuan Jian die, Ge Nie sighed suddenly.

Although Xuan Xuan Jian once gave him great pressure, however, when he truly witnessed Xuan Xuan Jian die in front of him, his mood could not help but be a little complex, "He is actually a poor man!"

Three years ago, in that trial of Wei Family Village, he and Wei Zhuang encountered Xuan Xuan Jian for the first time, and then, through various clues, learned about Xuan Xuan Jian's past.

It can be said that this Heaven-rank First-Class of the Net was once a man of flesh and blood, but because of various calculations and conspiracies, he was finally forced to this point.

"He is not poor at all!"

Wei Zhuang held a different view, his voice cold, "From the moment he held the sword and became an assassin, he had nothing worth sympathizing with."

"If he is poor, then aren't the people who died under his sword even more poor?"

Ge Nie did not speak. It is true that Wei Zhuang is right, but thinking of the past events about Xuan Xuan Jian that he learned three years ago, he still could not help but sympathize with this man who died in front of him.

Su Xuan also had no sympathy for Xuan Xuan Jian.

As Wei Zhuang said, from the moment Xuan Xuan Jian held the sword and became an assassin, he had nothing worth sympathizing with. If he is poor, what are those people who died under his sword?

Regarding Xuan Xuan Jian's past, the only truly poor person was one person.

That was Wei Xianxian who was accidentally killed by Dian Qing!

But Wei Xianxian's so-called poorness was actually her own fault.

As the saying goes, there is always something hateful about a pitiful person; this is exactly that principle.

The red and white swords vanished into Su Xuan’s sleeves, temporarily stored away by him using the Pot-Heaven Technique.

Although the Pot-Heaven Technique could not store objects for a very long time, this display in the eyes of Young Master Shang, who stood beside Han Fei, undoubtedly added a few more layers of mystery to Su Xuan.

He associated this with the rumors surrounding Su Xuan. Although it was widely circulated that he was a dangerous individual who had murdered the King of Han, judging by Han Fei’s attitude toward Su Xuan, there was clearly another side to the story.

Thus, he reached a decision.

Young Master Shang stepped forward and immediately bowed to Su Xuan, saying, "Many thanks to you, sir, for the rescue!"

"Young Master need not be so formal. I chose to save you because I felt you should not die here. However, there is one thing I am curious about." As soon as Su Xuan spoke, he revealed Young Master Shang’s true identity: he was none other than Qin Wang Ying Zheng.

"The glorious Heaven is not yet at rest, like a flowing spring; do not let us perish together. Rise early and go to bed late, sweep and sprinkle the courtyard, this is the rule for the people. Repair your chariots and horses, bows and arrows, and weapons, to guard against the border tribes, to keep the barbarians at bay..."

This was a verse from the "Classic of Poetry - Greater Odes - Yi." The lines preceding this one all spoke of the lessons learned from a ruler who failed to cultivate virtue, sinking into wine and lust, knowing only how to eat and play, which led to the collapse and ruin of the state. From this line onward, the style of the entire poem changed abruptly.

Whether a nation prospers or not should not be determined by Heaven, but by the ruler. One cannot sink into despair just because Heaven does not protect the state; the path to a nation's rise or fall lies in the ruler’s diligent cultivation of virtue and acting as a role model.

Ying Zheng took the character "Shang" from this line as his alias, which expressed his determination to forge ahead.

But this did not mean he had revealed his identity to others.

It could be said that since arriving in Han Guo, only a few people, such as Han Fei, knew his true identity. And even those who knew still chose to address him as "Young Master Shang" to provide him with cover.

As a result, Ying Zheng did not expect that the person before him would actually know his true identity.

Upon hearing Su Xuan’s address, the face behind his half-mask changed slightly, but then it returned to calm. "I wonder how you came to know my identity, sir?"

He referred to himself as "the lonely one," yet he had already acknowledged his own status.

"Although the Net is a massive organization with influence across all seven states, its power in other states is ultimately inferior to its strength in Qin. For their assassins to come to Xinzheng, the capital of Han Guo, to carry out a mission, they would inevitably have to rely on some local assistance."

"After the Qin Wang arrived in Xinzheng, the people from the Net found the Nightfall and sought their help to locate the Qin Wang!"

Su Xuan explained, and Wei Zhuang and the others also understood the reason behind it.

"You learned this from the Nightfall? You have been missing for some time, and you haven't left Han Guo—was it because of the Nightfall?"

"Yes!"

Su Xuan nodded. "I won't hide it from you all: the Nightfall is now under my control."

This news was undoubtedly shocking.

Even Wei Zhuang, who was usually indifferent to everything and maintained a calm demeanor, had his expression change slightly, not to mention Han Fei and Zi Nu. They were all from Han Guo, so they knew very well what the Nightfall represented.

"How did you manage that?" Wei Zhuang couldn't help but ask; he was truly curious.

One must know that the leader of the Nightfall, Ji Ji Wuye, died at Su Xuan’s hands. Emerald Tiger, one of the four fierce generals, was crippled because of Su Xuan, and the Blood-Clad Marquis was also killed by him. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Su Xuan was the greatest enemy of the Nightfall.

Yet, after disappearing for a period, Su Xuan had suddenly transformed into the master of the Nightfall.

"A wise bird chooses its tree to perch upon, and the Nightfall is the same. After I killed Ji Ji Wuye, the Tide Enchantress chose to submit to me. With her help, I controlled half of the Nightfall, and as the Straw-Cloaked Guest also expressed his submission, the Nightfall now belongs entirely to me."

Wei Zhuang finally understood how Su Xuan had seized the Nightfall, and he couldn't help but marvel at Su Xuan’s methods.

Although he said it lightly, it was clear that Su Xuan had used some unknown means to make the remaining two fierce generals of the Nightfall submit.

The Qin Wang was not interested in these matters; he had only a superficial understanding of the Nightfall and had no contact with it. After learning how Su Xuan knew his identity, he offered Su Xuan a smile. "Mr. Su, would you be willing to have a chat with me?"